The Three Lives of Luke Castellan
by Annie Dash
Summary: Not totally sure where this is headed, but I hope you guys enjoy it :)
1. Prologue

Prologue

He noticed the buildings in Elysium far before he heard the laughter and music. Every single architectural style Annabeth gushed about was visible, and Luke found himself recalling the names of a few of her favorites. As he drew closer, he realized that every single person there looked happier and more alive than almost anyone he knew before his death. The entire community looked so peaceful and beyond beautiful, and the boy knew he could stay there forever. If he just opened the golden gates, his life could truly end, and he would truly understand the concept of eternal bliss. He could see Charles, Silena, Zoë, and all the other people his actions had helped to kill. Then, he feared, the eternal bliss would become eternal guilt because maybe he hadn't really reached Elysium after all. Maybe he didn't deserve a huge reward yet. Maybe he still needed to prove himself, and his death just provided him with a new opportunity, one without the luring of Kronos, the never-ending need to please both sides of a war, or divine intervention.

Despite the allure of the paradise, Luke couldn't help but look beyond it, over the small body of water separating it from an island. Next to Hades' palace, it was the most spectacular place in the Underworld, the place the greatest heroes chose. The Isles of the Blest. Hercules, Achilles, and all the other people he had read about in stories when he was a young child, before he knew the reality of the so-called "myths", resided there. It wasn't gated, like Elysium, and it contained wonders so amazing that they were simply unearthly: rivers and waterfalls were colorful, trees were bigger than the California redwoods, and a bright sunlight shone down constantly on everything. Some people referred to it as the place where the sun never set, which Luke decided was appropriate.

The boy could barely even fathom how anyone could reach Elysium three times, when for him, achieving it once was almost impossible. However, he also knew that he didn't fully deserve it for a life in which he almost let the Titan Lord come to power, was responsible for the loss of thousands of lives, and was known as a traitor and a liar until the very end. All he really did by killing himself was stop an event he was the cause of. He knew exactly what he needed to do in order to truly feel closure after the events in his life: Live and achieve Elysium three more times, as his first life didn't seem successful enough for a reward. Luke decided to take a chance at an extra three lives for everyone he had hurt: Thalia, Annabeth, Chiron, his parents, and every other person who had been affected by his actions.

As he made his way back to the Judgment Pavilion, he thought of the words he said to Annabeth, "Think..rebirth. Try for three times. Isles of the Blest." He knew these words would be true, and he knew this time around, every promise would be kept.


	2. Chapter 1: Thalia

**Reviews appreciated. :) Please enjoy.**

Chapter 1

Thalia

It only took a few years for him to realize that his mother didn't meet the standard definition of "normal." Most of the parents he met didn't leave old peanut butter sandwiches and burnt cookies on the kitchen counters and never ranted about their kids becoming evil and destroying the world. And he had never met a single person besides her with glowing green eyes.

Even by early elementary school he knew without a doubt that it wasn't okay for his mom to terrify him to the point that he would crawl under the bed and cry. But he also knew that when she went on her awful rants, it was someone else's voice speaking. The beautiful blonde woman in pictures taken way before he was even born was not the same as the one who placed toys in the shapes of mythical creatures on the walkway in front of their house. However, Luke couldn't even fathom what could have possibly happened to change her so much.

Because as much as he denied to himself that Hermes could possibly have loved his mother and that his mother's ramblings were true, the words of his fourth grade teacher were almost enough to convince him otherwise. Maybe, just maybe, he was destined to be a hero.

However, heroes weren't the only people in the myths.

...

When his teacher stood at the front of the room, talking about the Greek myths, something about them resonated with Luke. He hadn't even been alive a full decade, yet everything he learned seemed so relevant to his lie, like he should have been the one stealing the golden apple, not Hercules.

It didn't really dawn on him completely until his teacher looked at him with her storm-gray eyes and stated, "Luke, this will affect your decisions." So he ran away, even though he had nowhere else to go, convinced that his mother was right: He was just the result of a god's infidelity.

It took several days of traveling away from his home in Connecticut for him to realize he was hopelessly lost, with no clear plan in mind. Weary from walking for so many hours with little rest, he sat down to relax. In less than a minute, a girl just barely older than him appeared. She held a shield with the head of a demon engraved on it in her left hand and a bronze blade in her right. Her clothes were ripped, and she looked like she hadn't eaten in several days. Luke stared into her terrified blue eyes as she whispered one word, "Run."

She didn't have to say it again, as he saw from a distance the huge, dark figure making its way through the woods.

The pair raced through the forest quickly, jumping over logs and ducking under low branches. Luke looked in awe as the girl moved without making a sound, carefully avoiding stepping on leaves and twigs, still running faster than him. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, she said, "We're safe."

She sat down in the dirt and glanced at the boy. "So who are you?"

Sighing, Luke sat down across from her and answered honestly. "I have no idea. Ever since I was a kid, my mom talked about the Greek gods and monsters and my future. It was just so confusing, and now I don't know what to believe. But I feel like my entire life was building up to running away, so that's what I did."

Suddenly, a completely serious look appeared in the girl's eyes. "You're like me. One of your parents was an Olympian, and you're a demigod." Staring directly into his eyes, she stated, "I'm Thalia Grace. Daughter of Zeus."

Luke shook his head. He refused to believe it. There was no way that the girl could be the child of a god that he didn't even believe in. It was far too unimaginable for him to consider such a fantasy and to wrap his mind around it.

Thalia watched him for several moments. "I didn't fully understand at first either. But my mom told me the truth a year ago, so I ran away. We never really got along, and I was scared, so I just left her."

"So," Luke paused as he tried to comprehend what the girl was talking about, "If all these Greek gods are real, and if one is my parent, who is it?"

"You don't know until you get claimed. Sometimes it takes years. Does your mom ever talk about certain gods?"

"She always talks about Hermes and how he was her husband or something. It always just confused me though. I guess I never took it seriously."

"Well, now that we've found each other, you might as well stick with me. Too many half-bloods attract monsters, but two or three have a less noticeable scent and can generally ward off any dangers." Thalia began walking quickly through the forest again, leaving Luke with a choice. He followed in her footsteps, terrified of the dangers they might face.


End file.
